St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-09-24
In vain Judge De Ford urged that it was

In vain Judge De Ford urged that it was
unprecedented to put man upon his trial for
murder within twenty-four hours from the
alleged commission of the crime.
The presiding Judge, always hitherto my
friend. and at this very time my associate
in the law faculty of the university, seemed
turned to stone. He looked at me, but in
stead of compassion, saw only an express
sion of lofty indignation and the evident
purpose to speedily make an example of one
who had occupied so elevated position.
Even nv students, a hundred or more,
wont to greet me with respectful, almost
loving Difference. were there, standing in
groups about the room, looking at me with
out a sign of pity, and much as if l had
! been wild beast.
heard the sheriff begin to call the jurors
! of the regular panel; the same before whom
/ | had a week before successfully pleaded for
mercy on behalf of a selfcontessed man
slayer But, now, as they filed into the box,
took their seats and turned their eyes on
me, looked in vain for one expression, one
ray of sympathy or compassion.
Judge De Ford, apparently the one friend
left me in all the world, and believing in my
innocence only as he believed in my in
sanity, again begged for a delay of the trial
But the stern and pitiless old judge was
inexorable He directed that the trial pro-
coed. The jury was sworn. The prosecutor
stated the cause for the State, reciting that
the prisoner and his wife had been IN
the prisoners study, when at late hour
the nelghborhood was startled by single
shrek, in which the prisoners name was
uttered in a voice of terror; that minute
after, on the neighbors rushing into the
house, the wife was found with her throat
cut from ear to ear her head nearly sew
cred from the body, while the murderous
husband stood over her dead and PROSTATE
form with the bloody instrument of death
in his hand" And as the prosecutor said
this he tiourished the still bloody kni1t be-
fore the jury. Then, pausing moment, he
resumed with something like theatrical
air and voice:
And you will find gentlemen of the jury,
the motive for this diabolical murder, com
mitted by this learned teacher of the law, in
the same realm, on the same plane, in
which and whereon you seek for the mo-
tives for the crimes OF the common thug, the
meanest highwayman or housebreaker: In
short. you will find il in this little bag of
gold p And he lifted the bag above his
head. tragically, and shook it till its contents
tangled and ratified again. He then proceeded
to give an account strangely contorted, OF my
wife's inheritance and how had not allowed
her to put the money in the bank, but had
carried it home despite her wishes, that
might not fail Of my purpose to rob her of it.
He concluded thus: "And the prisoners
counsel will endeavor to make you believe
that his client is insane; for he has not the
hardihood to ask you TO believe that this
wretched scoundrel is not guilty of Staying
his wife. Yes, gentlemen, you are to be
treated to the familiar defense, known as the
Insanity Dodge Why, some apostle ofthis
new and now popular doctrine-i. e., popular
among criminals and their advocates-has
recently, and after the lapse of nearly 800
years, advanced this theory, this defense in
behalf of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of the
Christ. Well, gentlemen, one thing can be
said for Judas that cannot be urged in behalf
of this bloody-handed villain: he had the de-
cency to go hang himself" And as the
prosecutor ended with great gusto, as if feel
ing that he had said something good, he
turned upon me with a triumphant sneer.
Hs did not have the fairness to say that |
had not had chance to follow the example
of Judas, since l had been manacled and in
cell all the while. But prosecuting at
torneys, usually selected from among the
younger members of the bar, are rarely
famous for righteousness.
As the evidence progressed I could but
feel amazed at what an apparently in
vulnerable case may be made out against q
perfectly innocent man. It looked very
much indeed as if had really murdered my
poor wife.
The impression then made has had the |
effect to greatly modify my previously con-
ceived notions of the value and reliability of
circumstantial evidence.
The evidence for the State all in, my friend |
took me apart that he might again urge me |
to allow the plea of insanity to be interposed !
in my behalf
BE gave the cheerful assurance that he
could establish my
madness by at least 2,
one-half of the most 90
learned physicians ~
of the city. I bad @~s'A>sSI,o
~ N'0'' " A5 fs52 + D--=2
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